Massive earthquakes likely in 2018, scientists say

From 2018 onward scientists believe Earth will endure as many as 20 massive earthquakes a year.

Researchers at University of Colorado, CU, and the University of Montana, UM, have published their study wherein they have found a close association between the rate at which the Earth spins on its axis and its seismic activity.

This relation led them to conclude that the year 2018 will be a year of far greater number of earthquakes than previous years. Researchers say there will be a significant jump in the number of severe earthquakes in 2018. Scientists have said that starting 2018 we could see as many as 20 severe earthquakes a year – meaning one severe earthquake every 18 days.

Researchers said that at certain times the Earth’s spinning speed fluctuates, which can change the length of day and nights. Gradually, these nearly immeasurable changes add up causing the Earth to rotate more slowly, and eventually cause an increase in high-magnitude tremors.

Based on their study between the planet’s spin and seismic activity over the past 100 years, researchers have found a 25-30{240bf0b57b86b5455bb6ff55135417bed0544708de1ac8ce7d81c3f2bd765bfb} increase in annual numbers of earthquakes with magnitude of 7.0 or higher on five occasions. They said that these earthquakes coincided with a slowing in the mean rotation velocity of the Earth.

Researchers also add that our planet offers us a five-years heads up on future earthquakes and this is remarkable. The study points out that when the Earth’s spin slows down, there’s a five-year lapse before the larger-scale earthquakes begin.

They say the Earth began slowing down four years ago in 2013, making the beginning of 2018 the most dangerous point in these periodic fluctuations.

Last year there were 113 earthquakes above 6.0 in the Richter scale and six, 7.0+ earthquakes last year, worldwide, which caused wide-scale damage and hundreds of deaths.

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Alexander is an Australian who has also lived in Europe and is currently based in the US. He holds a bachelors degree in medical research with first class honours in neuroscience. Alexander enjoys writing in a range of fields in health science research.